Master of Computer Science

Master of Computer Science

Top 5 in nation for best online programs including a Master in Computer Science, as ranked by U.S. World & News Report

The Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree program from Arizona State University provides high-quality computer science instruction combined with real-world experience through applied projects. You’ll gain a deep understanding of cutting-edge topics like AI, cybersecurity, the blockchain, and big data while you develop interpersonal skills that help you succeed in any organization.

This degree is delivered 100% online, providing the flexibility for you to learn on your own schedule. When you finish the program, you’ll earn the same degree as students that study on campus.

Who is this degree for:

Ranked in the Top 5 for graduate job placement by The Wall Street Journal, a Master of Computer Science from ASU gives you the edge you need to launch a new career or move ahead in your current organization.

This program is ideal for:

Individuals with an undergraduate degree in computer science looking to advance their skill set for better career opportunities or compensation

Individuals who may not have an undergraduate degree in computer science, but have a strong foundational understanding of computer science, and are looking to formalize knowledge.

Tuition:

Tuition for the complete degree program is $15,000 ($1,500/course).

ASU has many financial aid options. Financial support is available in the form of scholarships, grants, federal work-study, loans and outside resources. Almost everyone, regardless of income, can qualify for some form of financial aid. In fact, more than 70 percent of all ASU students receive some form of financial assistance every year.

Want to learn more before applying?

After answering a few short questions, we’ll be able to help you find out if you’re qualified to apply and give you more information about the degree program.

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Academics

To earn your MCS, you will complete a total of 30 credit hours (10 courses) in advanced computer science topics. Choose from areas of focus such as AI, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Cybersecurity. You’ll also create a project portfolio that you’ll use to showcase your experience to prospective employers.

10 courses

18-36 months

Avg. 20 hours per week

Some of the projects you'll do...

Design a Visual Analytics System

Explore and reason with data in this project by designing and building a visual analytics system for analyzing visitor data to a fictional theme park.

Build a Deep Learning Architecture

Design and build a deep neural network of many layers in this project, creating a network that can learn to recognize image categories from a given dataset.

Build a Movie Database

Demonstrate your ability to design and build a seven-table movie database from scratch in this project; you’ll also create applications to work on top of the database.

Implement a K-Means Algorithm and Its Variants

Create and build a clustering algorithm that can group the input collection of documents into a desired number of clusters in this project.

The degree experience is...

ONLINE LEARNING

The same kind of courses you’ll find on campus, with the flexibility to learn when and where you want.

INTERACTIVE

Collaborate with a global network of classmates, instructors, and alumni.

ENGAGING

Innovative courses with lectures from some of the world’s best instructors and hands-on projects.

CAREER-FOCUSED

Practical courses designed to help you master skills that you can start applying to your career right away.

Application Process

Start your application

When you apply, ASU will make a decision within 2-4 weeks. Once you’re accepted, you can start open courses right away!

Final Deadline:

April 15th, 2019

Three start dates each year (Fall, Summer, Spring)

About Arizona State University

ASU’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering believes that engineering is more than a discipline — it’s a mindset, a way of looking at the world. Students in the Fulton Schools of Engineering are part of a community of problem solvers, people who are passionate about designing and making innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. Our community has grown to over 21,000 students from all 50 states and Puerto Rico and 135 countries.

The Fulton Schools of Engineering are comprised of six schools, including the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering (CIDSE). CIDSE is a community of faculty, staff, and students encompassing the disciplines of computer science, computer systems engineering, engineering management, industrial engineering, informatics, and software engineering. CIDSE’s mission is to benefit society through excellence in education, use-inspired research from basic to translational, and leadership in service to the profession and community.

#1

Ranked for Innovation by US News and World Report

Top 10

Ranked in the U.S. for employability by Times Higher Ed

#5

Ranked by the WSJ for producing the best-qualified graduates

Ready to start your application?

The next cohort starts on May 20th, 2019

Early Admission Deadline:

March 15th, 2019

When you apply, ASU will make a decision within 2-4 weeks. Once you’re accepted, you can start open courses right away!

Frequently Asked Questions

Students who complete the program will earn a Master of Computer Science degree - the exact same Master of Computer Science degree that is earned on campus.

Students may tailor their degree through electives to focus on a variety of in-demand computer science topics, including AI, cloud computing, IoT, and machine learning.

No, the GRE is not required for admission.

Graduate Admissions will only accept OFFICIAL documents. Do not send anything unofficial to the Graduate Admissions Office, as the processing of your application will be delayed. Applications will be released to the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering once all official documents are received. Please send all materials directly to Graduate Admissions.

The number of transfer credits allowed for Masters students varies by program and is subject to review and approval. Please review the handbook for your program regarding how many transfer credits are permitted.

The School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering does not admit students on a conditional basis.

An option to determine and address academic deficiencies will be in place by spring 2019.

Prerequisites/deficiencies do not need to be taken from ASU.

If students have professional or personal experience in these areas, they can complete a Computer Science Proficiency Exam to demonstrate proficiency in computer science topics. To take the exam, please submit your information above and make this request to your assigned advisor so they can set you up.

No, we do not offer academic credit for work experience in the field.

The total cost of this degree will be $15,000, or $1,500 per 3-credit course. There are no textbooks required for the courses.

No. You need to pay tuition when you enroll in each individual course. That means you’ll only pay for your courses as you take them. There is also a payment plan available at https://students.asu.edu/paymentplan.

Completing Coursera courses alone does not waive a deficiency, but completing the course and working through the material can be an excellent way to prepare for the ETS test, which determines if there are topics a student is deficient in. Certain ETS test scores will satisfy deficiencies. More details on the ETS test will be available for Spring 2019.

Completion of Open Courses and/or Specializations on the Coursera platform by itself will not earn graduate credits from the university toward the degree. You must be registered in Arizona State University credit-bearing coursework to earn graduate credit.

The MCS degree does not currently provide concentrations online. As part of the program offering, you can select courses in an area of interest like Big Data, AI, Cybersecurity, etc.

Arizona State University recommends 3 hours of study for every hour spent in class.

Full-time students enrolled in 9 credit hours per semester will spend an average of 25-27 hours of study time each week. Part-time students enrolled in 6 credit hours per semester will spend an average of 20 hours of study time.

Full time students can complete the program within 1.5 years. Part time students can expect to take one course per session with an average completion of 2.5 years (assuming students take the summer sessions off).

As of now, no. However in the future, a student may be able to complete the program in an accelerated fashion.

You will need to submit a new application to transfer your credits. If accepted, you can transfer up to 12 credits between programs from the online program to the same on-campus program, as long as your grades are "B" or better.

Additionally, you will need to submit a GRE score and 3 letters of recommendations for the MCS on-ground application.

Your diploma and transcript will not indicate that the degree was completed online. It will appear identically to the diploma and transcript of a student who completes his or her studies on campus. The onground and online programs have the same courses, same syllabi taught by the same faculty.

Frequently Asked Questions for International Students

As the courses are taught in English, it is required that students prove that they have a strong grasp of the language. Requirements for English proficiency can be found here.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a benefit tied into an F1 visa status only. As such, students will need pre-existing work authorization in order to hold an internship. Pre-existing work authorization is based on certain visa categories. See more here.

We have a conversion rubric that we use depending on the country of origin for the transcript.

We require all international applicants from a country whose native language is not English or applicants whose undergraduate degree was not at a U.S institution to provide the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. The MCS program use as 575 (paper-based) or 90 (internet-based) TOEFL or 7 for IELTS as minimum expectations for admission. You can learn more here

ASU has partnered with Flywire to provide a payment option for students to send international payments by wire transfer. See the International Wire Transfer Payments section on this page: https://students.asu.edu/paymentoptions

A student must have the equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree to be eligible to apply for a graduate program. Students who have a three-year bachelor’s degree can take one year of a master’s program in their home country to be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.

1.For countries where only one original document is issued (such as India), the student cann mail us the original with a SASE and note to return the copy to them. We will make a copy of the original and return. We only recommend this as last resort.

For students in AZ, they can bring their original doc to the admissions counter in SSV M-F (M 8-4, T-F 8-5) on Tempe campus and we will view the document to determine authenticity, make a copy of the original and provide the original back to the student.

2.Provide an attestation from the issuing institution or Ministry of Education. Usually this is in the form of a copy of the transcript with a stamp indicating it is an attested true copy of the original. The stamp would be the seal of the office doing the attestation along with the signature of the authorizing authority. You can submit this to us once received. It does not need to come directly from the entity doing the attestation.NOTE: We don’t accept a notarized copy.

3.Credentials from India and China can be sent to ASU electronically through our parchment feed. Applicants from Chinese institutions can request and submit official transcripts directly through CHESICC. Requests are processed by CHESICC and will be sent electronically to Arizona State University admissions office. You will not need to submit a paper copy of your transcript. Go here to get started. Applicants from institutions in India can request and submit official transcripts directly through TrueCopy Credentials. Requests are processed by Truecopy Credentials and will be sent electronically to the Arizona State University admissions office. You will not need to submit a paper copy of your transcript. Go here to get started.

Coursera does not grant credit, and does not represent that any institution other than the degree granting institution will recognize the credit or credential awarded by the institution; the decision to grant, accept, or transfer credit is subject to the sole and absolute discretion of an educational institution.